An Un-National History of the Crown in Australia Bruce Gordon Baskerville
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Title: The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808 – 1986 Candidate: Bruce Gordon Baskerville A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry University of Sydney February 2017 Thesis and Examination of Higher Degrees by Research Policy 2015 Clause 13(2) Bruce Baskerville | Page 1 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 Statement of Originality I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. The thesis has not been submitted for any other degree or any other purpose. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. Bruce Gordon Baskerville, 6 February 2017 Statement of Originality, http://sydney.edu.au/research_support/students/your-thesis/submission.shtml Statement of Attribution Parts of Chapter 2 of this thesis have been published as Chapter 14 in Robert Aldrich and Cindy McCreery (eds), Crowns and Colonies: European monarchies and overseas empires, Manchester University Press, Manchester 2016: pages 262-282. I researched and wrote, and am the sole author, of both the book chapter and the thesis chapter. Thesis authorship attribution statement, http://sydney.edu.au/research_support/students/your-thesis/submission.shtml Statement of Lodgement with University Librarian If my candidature is successful, I understand that the thesis will be lodged with the University Librarian and made available for immediate public use. Higher Degree by Research Rule 2011 Clause 4.21(4) Bruce Baskerville | Page 2 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 “As the great scroll of history unfolds many complicated incidents occur which it is difficult to introduce effectively into the pattern of the likes and dislikes of the epoch in which we live.” Winston Churchill, addressing the House of Commons on whether the regnal numbering of Queen Elizabeth should be different in Scotland and in England, 15 April 1953 Bruce Baskerville | Page 3 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 Acknowledgements I thank my supervisors Professor James Curran and Professor Robert Aldrich who, over four and half years, have encouraged, provoked, challenged and otherwise supported me throughout this project. Their comments, criticisms and advice have always been insightful and fair, their judgements sound. It has been one of the privileges of my time at the University of Sydney to have worked with them and indeed the whole of the History Department. I was greatly inspired and made to think harder by all the participants in the Crowns and Colonies Conference (2014) and Royals on Tour Conference (2015). I also thank my three examiners. Beyond the University those without whom this project would have either never started or never finished, and who will always be in my gratitude, include Aron K. Paul, Babette Smith, Graham Grundy, Owen Walsh, Patricia Hale, Richard d’Apice, Stephen Szabo, the community on Norfolk Island, my colleagues at the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, my friends in the historical society movement (Irwin District and Blue Mountains societies especially) and The Australian Heraldry Society, and so many others. More generally I thank the National Archives of Australia, Fisher Library at the University of Sydney, including the Rare Books librarians, Royal Australian Historical Society Library, State Library of New South Wales, State Records of Western Australia and many other archival and research institutions, as well as the editors of The Court Historian, who all made it possible to research and think ‘outside the box’ for this thesis. In a personal sense, special thanks to my partner Mohamed Hassan, and our daughter and son-in-law Jasmin and Bogdan, for all their support and encouragement. My parents, Lindsay and Valerie, as always have been more supportive than I could ever reasonably expect, for which I think then from the bottom of my heart, along with the rest of our sprawling, diverse and generally opinionated extended family. Finally, I want to acknowledge the affectionate assistance always provided by Iwi and Miti Miti, our two Norfolk Island black cats ever-happy to lie across my keyboard, nest in a pile of papers on the floor, knock-over a stack of books, sit on the photocopier and curl up in my lap, always insouciantly and entirely at their own convenience. Thaenks yorli, ai gwen f’naawi! Bruce Baskerville | Page 4 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 TABLE OF CONTENTS Statements 2 Epigraph 3 Acknowledgements 4 INTRODUCTION 1999 And All That 7 The Problem of the Crown 9 Methodology 13 Sources 15 Chapter Outline 16 CHAPTER ONE Writing About The Crown 19 I Civic Personality 29 II Nationalism 32 III Crown Land 38 IV Divisibility 45 V Popular assent 51 Metamorphosis 53 CHAPTER TWO So Brave Etruria Grew: The theft of the Great Seal of 54 New South Wales, 1808-1810 I The Twentieth Day of Landing 61 II The Usurper Régime 65 III England Expects Every Man Will Do His Duty 71 IV The Restoration 79 V Union, Tranquillity and Harmony 82 Metamorphosis 92 CHAPTER THREE An Emigrant King: Musing on a new kingdom in the 93 South, 1861-1868 I Spectre of Kingless Anarchy across the Sea 99 II The Coming Australian Monarchy 104 III A Dream Shattered at Clontarf 119 IV The Three Clauses and Fenian Ghosts 124 V The Stability of Imperial Queenship 128 Metamorphosis 140 Bruce Baskerville | Page 5 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 CHAPTER FOUR The Name of Windsor: A British king born in South 141 Australia, 1915-1918 I The Worst Year of The War 143 II The World’s Greatest Monarch 157 III The House of Windsor 162 IV Keystone of the Imperial Arch 167 V Distinctively British 178 Metamorphosis 189 CHAPTER FIVE Black Swan Dreaming: the Crown divided in Western 190 Australia, 1931-1935 I Creating a Dominion League 191 II Westralian Romanticism 201 III The Black Swan Soars 206 IV Indissoluble Bonds 219 V A Ducal Patrimony 229 Metamorphosis 243 CHAPTER SIX Fountain of Honour: Imagining an Order of Australia, 244 1973-1986 I The Abandonment 246 II A New Elizabethanism 250 III A Logical Development 256 IV Breaking the States 273 V Their Australian Home 279 Metamorphosis 286 CONCLUSIONS Their Future History Yet To Be Written 287 On the Question 288 On the Method 302 On their Future History 313 Appendices 1. References & Bibliography 305 2. List of Illustrations 339 3. Glossary 344 Bruce Baskerville | Page 6 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 INTRODUCTION 1999 And All That Early in the evening of Saturday 6 November 1999 the results of the Australia-wide referendum held that day were becoming clear. The referendum sought the electors’ approval to remove the Crown from the federal constitution. It was quickly apparent in the count that a majority had voted ‘no’ to the proposal, in each state and nationally.1 The referendum thus joined the long list of ‘failed’ constitutional referenda in Australia. The main protagonists each acknowledged the results in their own way. The ‘Yes’ team’s Malcolm Turnbull of the Australian Republican Movement tearfully told television viewers “Whatever else he [John Howard] achieves, history will remember him for only one thing. He was the Prime Minister who broke a nation's heart”.2 Kerry Jones of the ‘No’ camp, Australians for Constitutional Monarchy, said “In Australia, there’s nothing wrong about being passionate about something and going out and fighting for it. And that’s what I’ve done.”3 How had Australia’s great fin-de-siècle republic show reached such a surprising and unexpected denouement? Media commentary in the days after the referendum ascribed its failure to several issues, mainly disunity among republicans, a focus on constitutional changes rather than monarchy per se, and the roles played (or allegedly played) by Prime Minister John Howard.4 Over the next few years several more-considered explanations were provided 1 A proposal to amend the constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia requires a referendum that wins a ‘double majority’, that is, an overall majority of the votes cast, and a majority of the six states. A referendum that achieves an overall majority of votes cast, but wins in less than four states, or vice versa, will fail. 2 Tony Stephens, ‘The day democracy rained on sunny boy’s parade’, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November 1999: page 9 3 Anthony Dennis, ‘Mrs Jones might have a thing going on, and on …’, Sydney Morning Herald, 8 November 1999: page 9 4 Examples (all dated 8 November 1999, unless otherwise noted): (editorials) ‘referendum reflects a split society’ The Australian; ‘A failure of leadership’ Sydney Morning Herald; ‘A Vote of Confidence’ The Daily Telegraph, ‘The republic vision will endure’ The Age; (opinion pieces) Michelle Grattan, ‘Wiser heads will rule broken hearts’ Sydney Morning Herald; Mike Secombe, ‘Beazley: we will deliver a republic’ Sydney Morning Herald; Louise Dodson, ‘The referendum is over, but long live the republic’ Australian Financial Review; Paul Kelly, ‘New class divide rooted in distrust’ The Australian; Mike Steketee, ‘One Queen, two nations’ The Australian; Brendan Nicholson, ‘Beazley outlines plan for a new vote’ The Age; Christopher Pearson, ‘Plenty of red faces in this royal blue’ Australian Financial Review; Paul Keating, ‘Crisis of confidence looms’, Sydney Morning Herald: page 23; Linda Doherty and Nadia Jamal, ‘I played it by the book, says Howard’, Sydney Morning Herald: page 7; David Marr, ‘Constitution badly needs a grease and oil Bruce Baskerville | Page 7 The Chrysalid Crown: An un-national history of the Crown in Australia 1808-1986 in conference papers and memoirs, mainly by those involved in the No campaign.